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This tomato soup Instant Pot recipe is an absolute dream! Made with rich San Marzano tomatoes, caramelized tomato paste, and plenty of aromatics, itโs impossibly thick and velvety smooth, not to mention perfectly seasoned. Serve with crusty bread or a hearty grilled cheese, and youโll have an instant cold-weather staple the whole family will adore!
See recipe card below for full list of measurements, ingredients, and instructions.
A Note from Cheryl
It’s important that the heavy cream is at room temperature before you add it to the hot soup. If it’s cold, it can curdle or separate when it hits the hot soup, and that will ruin the whole batch!
Why This Recipe is So Goodย
- This type of dish is a classic, and this Instant Pot tomato basil soup version elevates it to the next level. It’s ready in 30 minutes, the kiddos will love it, and perfect for busy nights on the go! Pair it with these delicious sandwiches: Grilled Cheese, BBQ Chicken Sandwiches, Caprese Sandwich, or a Buffalo Chicken Sandwich.
- If you’re used to canned tomato soup, this is NOT that. Canned tomato soups are impossibly thin, borderline watery, vaguely reminiscent of liquidy pizza sauce or tomato juice. Instant Pot fresh tomato soup is rich and perfectly seasoned, impossibly thick and velvety smooth, full of aromatics and herbs, and even some sneaky veggies.
What You Need to Know Before You Start
- It can be tempting to skip the sautรฉ step, but donโt! Those 5-10 minutes of softening the vegetables build the flavor foundation. You want the onions translucent and the carrots tender before adding the tomato paste.
- Hot soup and blenders can be dangerous; the last thing you want is to be splashed with a scalding liquid. Work in small batches, fill the blender only halfway, and hold the lid down with a towel. For extra-smooth results, strain through a fine-mesh sieve after blending.
- Tomatoes need a lot of salt to bring out their natural sweetness. Start with a teaspoon and gradually add more until the flavors are well-balanced. The cream will perfectly mellow the saltiness perfectly.
Recipe Variations
Stovetop Tomato Soup: No Instant Pot? No problem! Follow the recipe as written, but use a large, heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat instead. When you reach the part about sealing the lid on the Instant Pot, reduce the heat under your soup pot to low and cover the pot with its lid. Simmer the soup for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, uncover the pot and finish the recipe as written, adding the heavy cream and purรฉeing the soup in a high-speed blender.
Crockpot Tomato Soup: Combine the onion, carrots, garlic, tomato paste, San Marzano tomatoes, chicken broth, dried thyme, bay leaf, and coconut aminos in a slow cooker. Cook the mixture on LOW heat for 6-8 hours or HIGH heat for 4-6 hours. After slow cooking the soup, purรฉe the soup in a high-speed blender (or use an immersion blender) and finish it up as instructed below.
Frequently Asked Questions
Absolutely! Replace the heavy cream with full-fat coconut cream for equally creamy results.
Blend longer and consider straining through a fine-mesh sieve for ultra-smooth texture. Some people prefer a slightly chunky texture – it’s all about preference, so go with yours!
For sure, but you may need to increase the pressure cooking time by 2-3 minutes for the larger volume.
More Delicious Instant Pot Soup Recipes
- Instant Pot Chicken Tortilla Soup
- Instant Pot Chicken Pot Pie Soup
- Instant Pot French Onion Soup
- Creamy Instant Pot Clam Chowder
- Instant Pot Cajun Chicken Pasta Soup
- Thick & Hearty Instant Pot White Chicken Chili
- Instant Pot Chicken Tortilla Soup
- Creamy Instant Pot Potato Soup
- Instant Pot Chicken and Rice Soup
- Instant Pot Potato Leek Soup
- Instant Pot Butternut Squash Soup
Making changes to a recipe can result in recipe failure. Any substitutions or variations listed are simple changes that I believe will work in this recipe, but results are not guaranteed.
Instant Pot Tomato Soup
Equipment
- 6-quart Instant Pot or similar pressure cooker
- Large wooden spoon or silicone spatula
- ladle
- high-speed blender
Ingredients
For the Instant Pot Tomato Soup
- 2 tablespoons neutral-flavored oil avocado oil, olive oil, refined coconut oil, etc.
- ยฝ cup chopped yellow onion approximately 1 small onion
- 1 cup chopped carrots approximately 2 medium carrots
- 2 tablespoons minced fresh garlic approximately 2 large cloves
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 28-ounce cans crushed San Marzano tomatoes do not drain
- 4 cups chicken broth or vegetable broth, or water
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 large bay leaf
- 1-2 teaspoons granulated white sugar
- 1 ยฝ cups heavy cream at room temperature
- sea salt to taste
- freshly ground black pepper to taste
Serving Suggestions (All Optional)
- chopped fresh basil
- grated fresh parmesan
- crusty bread
Instructions
- Set Instant Pot to Sautรฉ mode. Add 2 tablespoons neutral-flavored oil to Instant Pot and heat insert until oil is hot and shimmery.
- When oil is hot, add ยฝ cup chopped yellow onion, 1 cup chopped carrots, and 2 tablespoons minced fresh garlic. Stir to incorporate, then sautรฉ vegetables, stirring occasionally, 5 to 10 minutes or until onions and carrots are very soft.
- When vegetables are soft, add 2 tablespoons tomato paste and stir 2 to 3 minutes or until tomato paste begins to caramelize, developing slight brown color.
- Once tomato paste has caramelized slightly, pour in 2 28-ounce cans crushed San Marzano tomatoes with liquid. Add 4 cups chicken broth, 1 teaspoon dried thyme, 1 large bay leaf, and 1-2 teaspoons granulated white sugar. Stir to incorporate all ingredients, making sure to scrape bottom of Instant Pot insert with spoon to loosen any bits of vegetables or garlic that may have stuck to bottom of insert.
- When ingredients are incorporated, secure lid on Instant Pot with vent in Sealing position. Set Instant Pot to Manual High Pressure mode and set cook time to 15 minutes. Instant Pot will pressurize and then 15-minute cook time will begin.
- When 15-minute cook time ends, carefully Quick Release internal pressure. Use caution as any escaping steam will be very hot. Remove lid from Instant Pot and set aside.
- Turn off Instant Pot and let soup cool slightly. Once soup has cooled, ladle soup into high-speed blender, working in batches. Purรฉe soup until completely smooth, then return soup to Instant Pot. Repeat until soup reaches desired consistency.
- When entire soup mixture has been blended, add 1 ยฝ cups heavy cream and sea salt to taste. Stir until fully incorporated.
- Ladle soup into serving bowls. Season each bowl with plenty of freshly ground black pepper and chopped fresh basil to taste. Garnish with grated fresh parmesan and serve warm with crusty bread if desired.
Approximate Information for One Serving
Nutrition Disclaimers
Number of total servings shown is approximate. Actual number of servings will depend on your preferred portion sizes.
Nutritional values shown are general guidelines and reflect information for 1 serving using the ingredients listed, not including any optional ingredients. Actual macros may vary slightly depending on specific brands and types of ingredients used.
To determine the weight of one serving, prepare the recipe as instructed. Weigh the finished recipe, then divide the weight of the finished recipe (not including the weight of the container the food is in) by the desired number of servings. Result will be the weight of one serving.
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